The Sounds of Avalon Concert - QMU, Glasgow 6th June

The Sounds of Avalon concert will be held on the 6th June 2009 at Glasgow QMU in honour of the late, great Ann Boyle, who died in 2008 from oesophageal cancer.

The bands playing will be Pop Up, Attic Lights (on stage at 10pm), Solareye and Alto Elite and tickets are a very reasonable £10. Doors open at 7pm and chucking out time is 3am.

The concert will honour Ann's memory in the best possible way by celebrating her life with music and entertainment from a diverse range of exciting acts including appearances from some high profile guests and performers. The overall aim of the concert is to raise funds for and awareness of the two designated charities, Ochre, the dedicated oesophageal cancer charity and the Balcraig Foundation's Kenya Christian Homes orphanages. In addition, there will be an auction taking place with a host of incredible items up for grabs, including jewellery from Tiffany's and festival tickets, with all proceeds going to the charities.

The concert is a lasting gift to Ann which will allow all of the people she touched to be involved in giving something back, whilst raising funds for two charities whose aims touched upon Ann's life in two very different ways.

Ann's Angels remembers all of those lost to oesophageal cancer and would like to extend a warm welcome to anyone who has been touched by this illness in any way.

Attic Lights/The Primary 5/Dropkick/The Parish Music Box - Town Hall, Darvel 8 May 2009

If the recent Camera Obscura/Attic Lights Barrowlands gig was a double whammy of pop, then last night's Darvel Festival gig was a quadraphonic aural delight with four quality bands taking to the stage on a great night for lovers of melodic pop.

Due to a prior engagement with a fish supper on the bench outside the venue, accompanied by Annemarie and Fiona from the Cairn String Quartet, I missed half of The Parish Music Box's set. But what I did see was very impressive and once you get past the Rhydian-meets-Morrissey look and mannerisms of lead singer Andy, you can hear an interesting band, with more than a hint of Cousteau about them. And that's no bad thing.

Two previous attempts to see Dropkick live had been aborted due to personal reasons too trivial to go into here. Needless to say I was delighted to finally catch their finely-honed country-tinged pop. I'm always delighted to see a band using harmonies and all four band members get in on the act to great effect. On a personal level I would love to have heard the title track from "Patchwork" and opener "Nowhere Girl" from the same album but I have no doubt I'll have more opportunities soon to hear them live. There was more than enough

Opening with "What Am I Supposed To Do?" from debut album "North Pole", The Primary 5, as they say in football parlance, set their stall out early doors. With four guitarists up front, including new recruit Gordon Keen (ex-Eugenius/Captain America/BMX Bandits), they were playing attacking pop and hell mend anyone who got in the way. Half of their set came from their most recent platter "High Five" and they were joined on stage for the title track by the Bellshill Beach Boy himself, Duglas T Stewart. Sure there are bound to be comparisons with lead singer Paul Quinn's musical alma mater but I can think of a lot worse bands to sound like. They're developing their own sound and musically maturing with every record. My personal highlight of their excellent set was "Fly Baby Fly", which, to me at least, had an air of The Beatles-meet-The Pastels about it and that's something you don't hear everyday.

Playing all the tracks from their stunning debut "Friday Night Lights" alongside a couple of brand new sings and some old favourites, Attic Lights served up a fabulous pick 'n' mix of pop goodies to an enthusiastic crowd. Despite seeing Attic Lights four times in the last six months, I still can't get enough of their harmonic, melodic guitar-driven power pop. With plenty of keyboards and pedal steel guitar thrown into mix too, their well-crafted songs are nothing less than wonderful. Your next chance to catch this very talented band at The Big Festival on 25th July. You certainly won't regret it. Hell, I may even join you! Again!!

The Parish Music Box
Heavy Drinkers
Sand Apple
Velocity Kendall
Can't Weigh The Rain
Petrocelli
Sniffer Dogs
Our Roman Knows
Bring It On

Dropkick
Only For Yourself
Can't Help It
Making Time To Talk
Breakdown
Choose
Don't Know Where It Ends
Dot The I
Figure It Out
Lucky That The Heart
Obvious
Avenues

The Primary 5
What Am I Supposed To Do
Out In The Cold
High 5
Sunsets
I'll Lay You Down
I Wonder Why
Lost and Confused
Fly Baby Fly
So Much To Find
Make Believe

Attic Lights
Bring You Down
God
The Dirty Thirst
Suzi Come On (new song debut)
People Say
Never By Myself
Walkie Talkie
Send Those Dark Eyes This Way
Stay Before You Leave (new song)
Late Night Sunshine
Martin
Bad Day (new song debut)
Game of Pricks (Guided By Voices cover)
Winter On
Wendy
Nothing But Love (Encore)
Never Get Sick of the Sea (Encore)

A big thank you to Fiona and Annemarie from the Cairn String Quartet for their company and craic. I had a bad start to the day and they snapped me out of my grumpy mood.

Music in the car going to the gig: The Smiths - Louder Than Bombs
Music in the car travelling home from the gig: The Primary 5 - High Five (3 times because I daren't risked changing CD mid-journey, especially at 1am on the M8!)

Highlights: Attic Lights “Send Those Dark Eyes this Way”, The Primary 5 “So Much To Find”, Dropkick "Lucky That The Heart", The Parish Music Box "Our Roman Knows", The Cairn String Quartet (well, half of them) doing "air" strings.

Lowlights: Twice being asked to "move along" from an area that wasn't exactly mobbed - not everyone wants to sit at a table and chairs at a gig. Also, there was only one prize at the raffle - where's the tin of shortbread? There's always shortbread at a raffle!! These are very minor gripes because it was well organised and I look forward to returning to Darvel in future years. Well done to Sheila, Neil and your team.

Ten Things I Learned In Darvel:

1. It's pronounced "Dur-vel", apparently.
2. Fiona and Annemarie (Cairn String Quartet) cannot do The Slosh - more lessons needed ladies!
3. Attic Lights' drummer Noel is actually Captain Caveman (Zowie!) or, sans beard, Bud Cort!
4. The Primary V could do with more guitarists.
5. All Attic Lights songs "need strings" (so say Fiona and Annemarie)
6. Darvel is near Moscow (no, not that one)
7. Attic Light's Jamie has a big organ. (Yamaha, I believe)
8. Nobody plays "air cello" and "air viola" like Fiona and Annemarie.
9. Salt and vinegar on your chips isn't so bad after all.
10. Annemarie McGahon is a human beatbox.

Peace out...

The Cat
=^..^=

Attic Lights - A Short Film

Here's a short film about Attic Lights called "A Short Film About Attic Lights":



See you in Darvel.

Camera Obscura/Attic Lights/Cairn String Quartet - Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow 26 April 2009

This gig wasn’t so much a ‘headline and support’ as a double whammy of pop-tastic acts who treated a packed Barrowlands to a night that will live long in the memory.

With a set tighter than two coats of paint, Attic Lights showed why they should be a force to be reckoned with over the next few years, if there’s any justice. Having left Island Records by mutual consent, the band is working on new material and previewed a new song in the shape of “Stay Before You Leave”. It slipped into the set like it had been there for years and augurs well for their next album.

If Attic Lights were the meat and two veg of the night, Camera Obscura were the most sumptuous of desserts. A sundae of bittersweet lyrics and a luscious sound that you could just melt into.

Coming on to the strains of Glenn Miller’s “In The Mood”, Camera Obscura showed no sign of nerves as they kicked off with the title track from new album “My Maudlin Career”, which as they later informed us with genuine surprise, had entered the UK album charts at 32. Most of the new album was aired, including current single “French Navy”, along with a veritable ‘greatest hits’ of classic singles and much-loved album tracks.

In between all the big pop tunes were the sensitive and haunting “James” and “Country Mile”, which were given the quiet reverence they deserved. The set ended with a double-barrelled blast of power pop as “Lloyd Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken” and “Honey In The Sun” (surely the next single and THE hit of the summer, should the weather oblige) brought the crowd to a frenzy. Old favourites were the order of the day for the encores as “Eighties Fan” and “If Looks Could Kill” brought proceedings to an end. I can only speak for myself but I left the venue with a lovely warm feeling inside and a sense that maybe the world isn’t such a bad place after all. That’s what Camera Obscura’s music can do for you.

The Cairn String Quartet, a quadrumvirate resplendent in black, accompanied both acts. Enhancing an already luscious sound, along with their own growing reputation, these girls are cornering the strings-for-hire market in Scotland. Such is the demand for their services that a studio date with Pop Up beckons and a possible hook up with Ally Kerr. Next stop, the world.

Attic Lights
God
Never Get Sick of The Sea
Dirty Thirst
Stay Before You Leave
5 Weeks Behind (CSQ)
Wendy (CSQ)
Late Night Sunshine (CSQ)
Bring You Down (CSQ)

Camera Obscura
My Maudlin Career
Tears for Affairs
Teenager
The Sweetest Thing (CSQ)
French Navy (CSQ)
Let’s Get Out of This Country
James
Forest and Sands (w/Tim, Attic Lights)
Come Back Margaret
Swans (w/Tim, Attic Lights)
Country Mile
Lloyd I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken (CSQ)
Honey In The Sun
Eighties Fan (CSQ)
If Looks Could Kill

CSQ – Accompanied by Cairn String Quartet

On a personal level, I’d like to offer a big thanks to the Attic Lights guys, the Cairn String Quartet girls and Francis McDonald for their time and chat.

Music in the car going to the gig: Various - Out of Sight: More Sounds from the In Crowd
Music in the car coming from the gig: Billie Davis – Tell Him: The Decca Years

Highlights: Attic Lights “Never Get Sick of The Sea”, Camera Obscura “Country Mile”, the Cairn String Quartet.
Lowlights: The people chatting ALL the way through the Attic Lights set and the bird who shat on me before the gig!

After a couple of dates over the Irish Sea, Camera Obscura head off to America and Attic Lights stay in the UK for some festival dates, including the Darvel Homecoming Festival at Darvel Town Hall on Friday 8 May 2009. See you there.

The Cat
=^..^=

Big Tent Festival - 26/27 July 2009

Big Tent 2009 is Scotland’s biggest eco-festival and takes place Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th July.

The mighty Shooglenifty, talented Attic Lights, the amazing Chipolatas and Mr McFalls Chamber playing Martyn Bennett are just a taste of the music line-up coming your way this July. Our full details to be announced soon.

This year’s festival will include loads of new stuff like: the Climate Challenge Ceilidh, a Climate Champion’s Zone, Earth Action Talks with WWF Scotland, a Family Zone, a brand new Wood Zone, plus the return of our celebrated Food Village.

There’s going to be loads of things to do for everyone - environmental workshops, craft, storytelling, debates, poetry, renga, therapies, exhibitions, book readings, displays, great food, cookery demonstrations and of course wonderful music set against the most amazing backdrop of Falkland Palace and the East Lomond Hill. If you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint, want low carbon energy advice, need inspiration or just want to find out more about climate change then you need to be at Big Tent.

The festival is really accessible and this year we will continue to offer free shuttle buses from the railway and bus stations (so keep the car at home). The campsite is much improved from last year with a dedicated family/quiet zone, a campshop and cafe. We are just a minute away from the historic village of Falkland and even less to Falkland Estate so if you want to get out and explore more of the place then this is the weekend to do so.

If you wish to exhibit at Big Tent please contact info@centreforstewardship.org.uk and we will send you out an exhibitor’s pack.

Jim Gellatly/Camera Obscura

Instead of posting links to Jim Gellatly's excellent New Music podcast every week, I've linked to it on the right. They really are very good.

There's an excellent Camera Obscura interview in the Scotland on Sunday: http://tinyurl.com/c9h2r2

See you all at the Camera Obscura/Attic Lights gig on 26th April at Barrowland Ballroom. Should be a pop-tastic evening.

Darvel "Homecoming" Festival Line-Up Unveiled

The line-up for the 8th Darvel ‘Homecoming’ Music Festival in May has been announced.

Eddi Reader will open the Festival on May 1 and will be followed by evenings of soul, jazz, blues, indie and Americana with a “supergroup” providing the finale on May 10.

As a prelude, The Darvel Music Company will be showcasing some of the west of Scotland’s finest unsigned and established bands in a fringe event at Darvel Town Hall on April 17 and 18.

Stagecoach will for the first time be operating return bus journeys from Ayr and Glasgow via Kilmarnock to Darvel during the main event utilising their express coaches and award winning bio-bus fleet. Stagecoach have also gone that ‘extra mile’ and agreed to sponsor the final concert of the ‘Homecoming’ festival and provide in-kind marketing support. The Festival website has details of where bus tickets can be purchased and a bus timetable.

The full line up is:

Fri 1 May: Eddi Reader. Support: Roddy Hart, Esther O’ Connor and Adriana.

Sat 2 May: The Hamish Stuart Band with Jim Mullen and Ruby Turner. Support: Hamilton Loomis.

Sun 3 May: Martin Taylor’s Freternity. Support: Rainy and the Dust plus Joni Keen and the Euan Stevenson Trio.

Thu 7 May: Maggie Bell and Dave Kelly with Blues n’ Trouble. Support: The Seventh Sons.

Fri 8 May: Attic Lights. Support: The Primary 5, Dropkick and The Parish Music Box.

Sat 9 May: Gary Louris and Mark Olson (The Jayhawks). Support: The Endrick Brothers, Eileen Rose and the Holy Wreck, and Hey Negrita.

Sun 10 May: Four Good Men (ex-Simple Minds, H20 and Owen Paul). Support: JJ Gilmour (ex – Silencers), The Garrett Wall Band and Boo Hewerdine.

Tickets are now on sale at Ticketweb, Ticket Scotland (Glasgow), Walker & Connell, Darvel and Valhalla Music in Kilmarnock.

See www.darvelmusicfestival.org for full event details.

Festival ‘Fringe’

Fri 17 Apr: What The Heroes Say, The Streetlight Conspiracy, The LaFontaines, The Ghosties and The Longhorns.

Sat 18 Apr: TV21, Laki Mera, Iain Morrison, Man at the Window and Iain McKinnon.

Darvel-lous Pop Music

For those of you who enojyed the Attic Lights gig at Celtic Conenctions, you'll get another chance to witness their wonderous powerpop on Friday 8 May 2009 during the Darvel "Homecoming" Music Festival.

While details of all the Festival gigs are a bit sketchy just now, we can confirm that Attic Lights will top a pop-tastic line up which includes The Parish Music Box, Paul Quinn's The Primary 5 and Jocknroll favourites Dropkick.

The venue for this gig is Darvel Town Hall, 10-12 West Main Street, Darvel, Ayrshire. Tickets, we believe, will be £15 and should be on sale around late February. Unfortunately Ticketmaster is involved (I'm not a fan, can you tell?) but I'll try and confirm if the tickets are cheaper getting them directly from the venue or festival organisers, just like Celtic Connections.

Meanwhile, Dropkick have some gigs coming up. For a mere £4 you can catch them at Bannerman's (Edinburgh) on Thursday 5 February and on Friday 13 February you can see them at Teatre de Lloseta in Mallorca, although you may need to change buses to get there.

Site Update: Link for Peter Parker added. If your (Scottish) band, past or present, isn't listed on our Artists pages then let us know and we'll do the needful. We're good like that.

Attic Lights - Five Weeks Behind

Here's Attic Lights doing "Five Weeks Behind" at Celtic Connections last Saturday with the Cairn String Quartet:



I've also got BMX Bandits doing E102/Witchi Tai To and The Sailor's Song/After I Make Love To You, Attic Lights doing Dirty Thirst/Nothing But Love/Wendy and Winter On and Norman and Euros doing a song I'm trying to get the title of! Enjoy.

Attic Lights, Norman Blake/Euros Childs, BMX Bandits, Boa Morte - ABC, Glasgow 17 January 2009

Sometimes you look forward to a gig so much that you're disappointed when the high expectation isn't met but the Shoeshine Showcase was the exception that proved the rule.

Even the slightly disappointing opening act Boa Morte couldn't dampen my spirits because, to be blunt, they just weren't my cup of tea. Having more of a pop sensibility, their Lambchop-esque musings didn't really move me. Nothing personal guys, it just wan't my thang.

Over the years I've seen Duglas and the travelling circus of merry men and women that is the BMX Bandits quite a few times and they've never failed to entertain. Tonight was no exception as they played several tracks from their last/current album "Bee Stings" as well as some well-loved golden oldies. (You can see The Cat's interview with Duglas and Rachel in the previous post).

BMX Bandits: The Sailor's Song, After I Made Love To You, Elegant Lines, Take Me To Heaven, I Wanna Fall In Love, E102, Witchi Tai To.

Norman Blake and Euros Childs were up next as the acts came thick and fast with each band playing slightly shorter sets. Kicking off with a cover of 23rd Turnoff's "Michelangelo", Norman and Euro dovetailed in perfect harmony as this musical marriage-made-in-heaven enthralled everyone. The set also included a cover of Stories "Love Is In Motion". The fruits of their 2008 recording sessions should come out in 2009 and it'll be well worth the wait, especially if "Do the Cave Dance", the closing song, is anything to go by. If they're not careful they might even have a hit single/download on their hands.

Norman Blake/Euros Childs set: To be confirmed

Having seen Attic Lights in Dunfermline last year I knew what to expect but they still did the business again with their wonderful brand of West Coast powerpop; Scottish West Coast, that is. Not afraid to kick off with a hit (or should I say single as they rather surprisingly haven't troubled the chart scorers yet) they played a sparkling set, which was aided by the accompaniment of the Cairn String Quartet on some tracks. The girls even supplied backing vocals on set closer "Winter On".

If the much anticipated follow-up to "Friday Night Lights" is half as good as their debut we'll still be in for a real treat. No new songs on stage tonight but we did get their cover of Dennis Waterman's "I Could Be So Good For You", which hopefully won't become an albatross around their necks as it features in the current (pointless?) remake of "Minder".

Attic Lights set: God, Never Get Sick of The Sea, Dirty Thirst, Nothing But Love, Wendy, Five Weeks Behind, Late Night Sunshine, Bring You Down, I Could Be So Good For You, Winter On, Walkie Talkie (encore).

A good night was had by all, with many "names" (or should that be "faces") in the crowd. As well as Shoeshine supremo and curator of the Showcase Francis McDonald, there was Next Big Thing's Lindsay Hutton, ex-Pastel/Radio sweetheart Martin "Nothing To Be Done" Hayward, Eugene Kelly and Traceyanne and Carey from Camera Obscura spinning the tunes between sets.

I've filmed some other stuff on my Flip Ultra and when I learn how to upload stuff in less than 4 days, I'll put it up!!

The BMX Bandits talk to Jocknroll

Tomorrow (18th) I'll provide a full review of tonight's Attic Lights/Norman Blake and Euro Childs/BMX Bandits gig from the Celtic Connections festival. Meanwhile, here are Duglas and Rachel from the BMX Bandits talking to The Cat about lyrics, nappies and tattoos!

From The BMX Bandits, with love xxx

"At Elefant we are congratulating ourselves on the release, for the second time, of the exclusive 7” of one of the most vital and active groups of the Scottish pop scene. Duglas T. Stewart put together a handful of unreleased songs in this item that marks the sepia- tinted memory of the most elegantly poppy seventies, led by the piano, evoking the halo of composers like Burt Bacharach or Henry Mancini and artists like Dusty Springfield or Françoise Hardy. From the new version of “Our Secret Life” in French, rebaptized here as “Quand il n'y a plus d'amour” (with the French adaptation by Nick Garrie) to the closing gem of the EP, a version of “Hopelessly Devoted to You” that Olivia Newton-John sang in “Grease”, one of our favourite films, which Duglas deliciously recreates with the collaboration of the Scottish band THE ATTIC LIGHTS (Is it just me or those chaps everywhere just now? - The Cat). The single is completed with two very recent recordings, the unreleased “I Can Wait Forever”, intimate folk pop marked with elegant melodies and vocals, and a version of “You Don’t Want to Be My Girlfriend, Phoebe” by MY LITTLE AIRPORT. When Duglas received MY LITTLE AIRPORT’s album, published by Elefant, he fell instantly in love with the song. He played it live a few days later and soon after decided to record it in the studio, the magnificent result of which is here. A precious collection of songs with the indelible stamp of one of the most gifted minds in pop of the last 25 years at the controls. As always, Duglas, it’s a pleasure. "

You can buy The BMX Bandits Love EP at: http://www. elefant. com/shop/singles

You can see The BMX Bandits this Saturday at the ABC in Glasgow, supporting Attic Lights and Norman Blake/Euro Childs. Boa Morte are also on the bill of this Shoeshine Showcase. Oh, and I, The Cat, will be there too!

Attic Lights Are So Good For You/Want a free CD?

Attic Lights have reworked Dennis Waterman's "I Could Be So Good For You" for Channel 5's remake of 80s favourite "Minder". The show airs in February and Attic Lights version of the classic theme tune will be released on 16 February, although it'll be available digitally from 12 January. The new six-part "Minder" stars Shane Richie as Arthur Daley's nephew Archie. See the video HERE. (The Cat will be at the gig on Saturday at the ABC in Glasgow. Say hello, if you think you know what I look like!)

Site News: I've given the Jocknroll website a bit of a spring (or should that be winter) clean, especially on the Hame page, and I shall endeavour to work my way through it page by page to ensure that everything is up-to-date and working. If there are any features you'd like to see on the site, by all means let us know. Also, if you would like a plug and a link to your band on the site or here, get in touch.

If you're a Scottish act and you'd like us to give you an honest review of your single/album/digital release/gig then contact us and we'll tell you where to send stuff.
Talking of great stuff, I have five copies left of Neon Tetra's wonderful compilation "Independent and Free", which features many of the acts on their roster. The first five to get in touch will get one for nothing/nowt/zilch/FREE, assuming you live in the UK. (Sorry, but have you seen the price of postage?). I can't recommend the label's output highly enough because there are some cracking bands featured - Green Peppers, Our Lunar Activities, Joe Kennedy, The Goldenhour, The Ronelles, Daniel Wylie, The River Detectives (yes, they're still going), The Fast Camel, Ally Kerr and Water School. There are also guest appearances, on the Green Peppers tracks, from Justin Currie and Isobel Campbell. You know you want one.